Democrats, Iraq War | featured news

President Obama has wound down America’s war in Iraq, ordered the operation that killed Osama bin Laden and set in motion the end of U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan. He also has focused particular attention on veterans and military families, increasing funds for the Department of Veterans Affairs, implementing the post-Sept. 11 G.I. Bill and launching job programs for returning troops.

By declaring the Iraq war over, President Barack Obama scored what his allies see as a fourth big foreign policy success in six months, starting with Osama bin Laden's killing. But in his re-election bid, these events might play a discouragingly small role even if they burnish his eventual place in history. Voters tend to focus heavily on domestic issues, especially in times of high unemployment. That will limit Obama's campaign options.

The House approved Tuesday the spending of an additional $37 billion on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, overcoming the opposition of some congressional Democrats who have concluded that the Afghan conflict is unwinnable.

A spokesman says Democratic Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a retired Marine Corps officer who became an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, has died. He was 77.